The Portland daily press., 1887-03-14
CITY REPORTS.

CHIEF ENGlNEEk FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Chief Cloyes reports the following alarms
and fires in 1867: Bell alarms. 40; tele-
phone and still alarms, 7. Bell alarms for
each month were as follows: 1886, March. 10 I;
April, 4; May, L; June, 2; July, /; August,
8; September, 4; November, 8; December, Q;
1887, January, 3; February. B. There were
six general alarms. There were 67 fires: In
March, II, April, 5; May, Q; June, 8; July,
g.; August, 4; September, 6; October, 4; No
vember, 10; December, 6; January, Z; Feb
ruary. 3. The total loss by FIRE was $1S6, 603 4;
insurance paid, $165,994; loss over insurance,
$40, 600.
The engines are in good ORDER and also
the hose carriages. Steamer No. will need
some repairs, and the other engines and
hose carriages some painting and vanishing.
A new Hayes truck is needed to take the
place Of old Hook and Ladder No / larg-
er horse is needed to haul Hook and Ladder
No. 2; new sled should be given Hose No.
6, and horse to haul the apparatus. New
horses are needed for Steamers 1. and s.;
5000 feet of new hose are needed. The fire
alarm telegraph should be placed under the
fire department Jurisdiction. There are 81
on Munjoy Hill is advised. Casco SIS house
should be re-arranged, and put in firstclass
order, and a Hayes truck and hose tower
placed there, and then Truck could be
placed on Munjoy Hill, where it is needed.
me present bose tower Is dropping to pieces
which lS5 are, post hydrants, 50 street and 81
sidewalk 1uSh; % new MIGRANTS have been
set and IA old ones condemned, and Is re-
paired and revalved. New ones are needed
on Congress, Commercial and st. John
streets. There are 141 men in the depart
ment, all under good discipline. In no case
has a fire the past year spread beyond the
buildings In which it originated.
CITY SOLICITORS REPORT.
Judge Symonds reports the following as
the list of cases pending at the beginning of
the municipal year: Bridget WEIGH VS.. City
of Portland; W. III. Allen VS.. same; Gather
inc Conley, admx.. VS.. same; City of Port
land VS.. Union Mutual Life Insurance Com
pany; Mercantile Trust Company VS.. P. &
o. r. R. ct ais; W. f. Milliken ct al. VS.. P.
& o. R. r. Company; B. F. Andrews VS..
City of Portland; w. Fl. Martin VS.. same;
Moses Gould applt. VS.. same; A. V. Cole ct
ais. applts from decision of County Commits
sioners upon refusal to locate highway and
ferry landing in Portland. The Bridget
WEIGH case may be settled; the Allen case
by entry neither party;" the Conley case
was non-suited in favor of the city; the case
against the. Union Mutual resulted in de-
cisfon ordering judgment for the city. The
opinion Of the court is considered decision
In favor OF the taxes for 1884 as well as those
for 1882 and 1888, amounting in all to $l2,-
1868. The act of the Legislature of 1885
changes the rule of law established by the
opinion in this case as to the liability of the
defendant company to municipal taxation.
The proceedings in the Ogdensburg cases
are well known. The road is still in the
hands Of the receiver appointed in the sec
the Andrews case. But little progress has
been made in the Martin case. In the Gould
cases the. appellant recovered judgment for
damages in one action in the sum of $137.50,
and,n the other $225 with COSTS
The ferry case, which had been fully
heard at the date of the last report, before
the County Commissioners, was subsequent
ly heard on appeal before the committee APP
pointed by the Supreme judicial Court, and
the report of the committee was filed at the
County Commissioners. Objections TO the
report of the committee were filed, and the
exceptions which had previously been filed
to the appointment of the committee were
argued at the law term. 1886, and in Decem-
Der, 1887, decision was received from the
Law Court overruling the exceptions.
During the year legal proceedings were in
stituted in the following cases: H. p. Kim
ball VS.. city; Francis Fessenden applt. VS..
same; w. II. Winslow VS.. same; City of
Portland vs.. Inhabitants of Westbrook;
same VS.. Inhabitants of Deering; same VS..
j. G. Remick; Lincoln National Bank VS..
Portland. In the first case Judgment was
rendered for the city. The second was dis
posed of without trial; the third will be in
order for trial next term; the fourth and
fifth are in order for trial; the sixth was SET
tied by the defendants paying $125 for penal
ty and costs the seventh case will be argued
before the Law Court in July The Solicitor
has also appeared before the Legislature
several times in the city's interests.
SUPERINTENDENT OF CLOCKS.
Mr.. Ira Berry, Jr., Superintendent of City
Clocks reported all the clocks in good condf-
tion, with the exception of those on Park
and Casc0 streets. The latter he recon-
mends keeping in repair for year longer at
as little expense as possible, and then to
have IL condemned